Article carrier

ABSTRACT

A carrier for a surfboard or other elongate article comprises a shoulder strap, a waistbelt, and a holder portion. The holder portion comprises a lower flap that passes about a central portion of the board and attaches to an upper flap though snap-lock buckles to hold the board in place. When the carrier is not used to carry a board, it can be converted into a general-purpose bag by using side zip closures to form the lower flap into a pouch and by using the upper flap as a bag closure flap. A non-slip grip panel and/or a bladder may be provided on an inner surface of the lower flap to grip the board. The bladder may be inflated to a maximum pressure limited by a pressure-limiting valve by a pump on the shoulder strap.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a carrier for an elongate article, especially, though not exclusively, for elongate sporting articles, such as surfboards and the like.

BACKGROUND ART

The personal carriage of items such as surfboards, snow boards, skis, and other elongate sporting articles, such as kayaks and the like can be awkward and difficult, due to their shapes. This is exacerbated when the equipment needs to be carried for long periods and possibly over long distances, and potentially awkward and dangerous terrain.

The present invention aims to provide a carrier for facilitating the carriage of such equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Viewed from one aspect, the present invention provides a carrier for the personal carriage of an elongate article, the carrier including a body-mounting strap, e.g. shoulder strap, and a looped holder portion, the looped holder portion being configured to extend about a portion of the elongate article in use to hold the article on the side of a person wearing the device, with a first end of the article extending forwardly from the holding portion, and a second end of the article extending rearwardly of the holding portion. Preferably, the looped holder portion is able to be closed along at least one of its sides through which the elongate article would extend in use to form a pouch.

The present invention may be used for example to carry a surfboard, snowboard, kayak or the like from the shoulder of the user, thereby supporting the weight of the article and making the article easier to carry.

The surfboard or the like is held, e.g. at hip height, extending forwardly and rearwardly of the user, so that the user is well-balanced, and can guide/orientate the article suitably to avoid obstructions, other people and the like.

The looped holder portion may take any suitable form, and may be a closed loop that may be slipped over the article. In a preferred form, however, the looped holder portion includes one or more flaps or the like that may be passed about the article and closed into a loop by suitable fastening means. The looping of a flap or flaps about the article may provide a simpler mechanism for mounting the article within the carrier, than e.g. pulling the looped portion over the article.

The fastening means could include for example a buckle, a snap lock, Velcro™ fasteners, drawstrings, ties, buttons, or any other suitable fastening elements.

The looped portion may be elasticated, e.g. made primarily of elasticated material or include elasticated portions therein, such as gusset portions. This allows the article to be held firmly in place in the holding element, with the holding element stretched thereabouts.

Preferably, the carrier includes tightening means for ensuring that the article is gripped firmly in position. These may include for example tightening straps or drawstrings, and may form the fastening means for the flap or flaps of the looped portion, e.g. connecting a pair of flaps together.

In another structure for gripping the article, the looped portion could include deformable material therein, such as foam padding or the like, which may conform to the shape of an article within the looped portion.

In one particularly preferred form, the looped portion includes a bladder element therein. Once the article is placed within the carrier, the bladder may be inflated to grip against the article and hold the article in place.

The bladder may for example be mounted on the inside of the looped portion or may be mounted within the material of the looped portion.

The bladder may reduce the need for adjustment of fastening or tightening straps or the like, and may allow the carrier to be used as a flotation device, e.g. a personal flotation device.

The bladder may be inflated in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, it may be inflated by blowing into the mouthpiece of an inflation tube attached to the bladder.

In a preferred embodiment, the bladder is inflated by a pump mounted on the carrier. The pump may for example be mounted on the shoulder strap so that the user may easily activate the pump should the bladder deflate for any reason.

A release valve may also be provided for deflating the bladder, and again this may be mounted on the shoulder strap for ease of use. The carrier may also include a pressure release valve to prevent over-inflation of the bladder, which could otherwise e.g. cause the seams of the carrier to burst.

The bladder itself may take any suitable form, and may include separate and/or connecting compartments designed to provide the bladder with a particular shape or the like. The construction of the bladder may be similar to that used in e.g. recreational “li-los”, and may be made of e.g. rubber-backed canvas.

The pump may for example be a simple bulb pump, e.g. having a bulb portion with a one way valve at its inlet and outlet. A tube from the pump may be mounted on the carrier or within the carrier, e.g. within the fabric of the shoulder strap.

The inner surface of the looped element may include a surface portion, e.g. a panel element, made of non-slip material. The non-slip material may be e.g. neoprene or a rubber-foam and lycra™ material sandwich. It may be similar to the materials used in wet-suit manufacture.

The use of a non-slip inner surface portion can be particularly useful in situations where the article held has a smooth surface, as is often the case with e.g. surfboards and the like. For example, without the non-slip material, the motion of the article during carriage might cause slippage of the article within the looped holder, even when the looped portion is drawn tight against the article.

In another particularly preferred feature of the present invention, e.g. where the looped holder portion forms a tubular portion in use, one or both sides of the looped holder portion may be closed by suitable closure means, so that the carrier may take the form of a bag.

This provides a versatile design that allows the carrier to be used either to carry a large elongate article such as a surfboard, or to carry smaller objects in a bag configuration.

Preferably, both sides of the looped portion are closed, as the bag may then be used in the same orientation as when holding a surfboard or the like.

Preferably, the looped portion includes a lower and an upper flap, the carrier including closure elements for forming the lower flap into a pouch, and the upper flap preferably providing a pouch closure.

The closure means may take any suitable form, and could be buttons, poppers, ties or the like. Preferably, the closure means comprise one or more zip closures, as a zip closure may fully close the looped portion along the side, and so allows the bag to be used to carry small objects and the like. Further alternative closure means are also possible, such as Velcro™ fasteners.

The body strap may take any suitable form, e.g. a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap may e.g. comprise a single wide strap of material. The carrier may also or alternatively include a waistbelt.

A shoulder strap and waistbelt combination can provide good weight distribution of the carrier article on the shoulders and hips, whilst also holding the carrier and article firmly in position.

The shoulder strap, waistbelt and the fastening means for the looped portion may be partially or fully adjustable, e.g. using suitable buckles or the like.

Padding, e.g. an air cushion, may be provided in the shoulder strap and/or waistband. This may be inflatable similarly to the bladder, so as to provide a better fit and greater padding where necessary.

The carrier may include other accessories, such as a water bottle or the like. It may also include a pocket portion on the front of the looped holder portion.

Preferably, the carrier includes a grab handle on the looped portion. This is preferably located so that it falls easily to hand during carriage, so as to allow the carried item to be “steered”, e.g. in a crowd or other settings within which manoeuvring may be difficult. The grab handle may e.g. be provided on the looped portion between the attachment points for the shoulder strap, or may be provided on the front of the looped portion, e.g. on the front of the lower flap.

The carrier of the present invention may be configured to carry any suitable elongate article, e.g. sporting article. These could include for example water boards such as surf, body, wind or sail boards, as well as other leisure/recreational boards, such as snow boards and skateboards. It may also be used in relation to other elongate articles, such as kayaks and canoes or skis. It may further be used in other areas, besides the leisure and recreational fields, and could for example be used in the military and constructional fields, where again large elongate articles may need to be carried over long distances and/or for long times.

The carrier may be made from any suitable materials, and may e.g. be formed from durable synthetic canvas-like material. Its dimensions may vary to suit a particular application. The looped portion may for example have dimensions varying between about 20 cm to about 60 cm in width, and about 80 cm to about 130 cm in length.

The use of a tubular looped holder is in itself a particular advantageous feature of the present invention, and, viewed from a further aspect, the present invention provides a carrier for the personal carriage of an elongate article, the carrier including a body strap, e.g. shoulder and/or waist strap, and an article holder including a, preferably flapped, panel element that in use extends about a central portion of the article to form a tubular looped carry portion. Side edges of the panel element include closure means that enable at least one side of the looped carry portion to be closed to form a pouch.

Preferably, the carrier comprises a pair of flapped panels, the flaps extending about the article in use and being fastened together. Preferably, the flap extending about the top edge of the article in use is shorter than the flap extending about the bottom edge of the article in use. Further preferably, the lower flap has closure means along its side edges for forming the lower flap into a pouch, to provide a bag-like configuration. The upper flap preferably acts as a top closure for the pouch.

The provision of a bladder is also in itself an especially advantageous feature of the present invention, and, viewed from another aspect, the present invention provides a carrier for an elongate article, the carrier including a looped holder within which the article is held in use, and a bladder element within the looped holder, the bladder element being inflatable within the looped holder.

The present invention is particularly suitable for use with recreational/leisure boards, such as surfboards, snowboards, skateboards, and the like, and viewed from a further aspect, the present invention provides a board carrier, the board carrier including a shoulder strap and a looped carrier portion within which the board is held in use, the looped carrier portion being formed from an elongate panel element that in use extends about a central portion of the board. The looped carrier portion is able to be closed along at least one, and preferably both, of its sides through which the board would extend in use to form a pouch.

The carrier may also be used with other harness/strapping arrangements for other than body-mounted use, e.g. for cycle saddle bag mounting or the like.

Thus, viewed from a further aspect, the present invention provides a carrier for an elongate article, the carrier including one or more mounting straps and a looped holder portion, the looped holder portion being configured to extend about a portion of an elongate article in use to hold the article in place, with a first end of the article extending forwardly of the holder portion and a second end of the article extending rearwardly of the holder portion. Preferably, the looped holder portion is adapted to be closed along at least one side thereof through which the elongate article would extend in use such that the looped holder portion can form a pouch- or bag-like configuration. Preferably, therefore, the looped holder portion includes one or more closure elements for forming the looped holder portion into the carry pouch or bag-like configuration.

Viewed from yet another aspect, the present invention provides a carrier for an elongate article, the carrier including a looped holder within which the article is held in use, and a bladder element within the looped holder, the bladder element being inflatable within the looped holder.

These further aspects of the present invention may include any of the other features discussed above in relation to the first or any other aspect of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier of FIG. 1 mounted on a surfboard; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carrier in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a personal, body-mounted, carrier (1) for a surfboard (2) includes a shoulder strap or sash (3), a waist-belt (4) and a looped holder portion (5).

The holder portion (5) comprises a first elongate lower flap (6) and a second shorter upper flap (7), which connect to one another through a pair of quick-release fasteners, such as snap locks (8), the snap locks (8) having male and female portions (8 a, 8 b) attached to webbings (9) and (10).

In use, the first elongate flap (6) is looped around the central body portion of the surfboard (2), as shown in FIG. 2, and is fastened to the second flap (7) by the pair of snap locks (8). The webbing (9) of the male snap lock portions (8 a) may be pulled tight, so that the surfboard (2) is held firmly in place, and the webbing (10) and the female snap lock portions (8 b) are threaded through guide loops (11) on the front of the lower flap (6) to keep the flaps (6, 7) and the snap locks (8) in place.

To facilitate a good grip, the first elongate flap (6) may have a non-slip panel member (12) mounted on its inner surface (13) to aid in the gripping of the smooth surface of the surfboard (2). The panel member (12) may be made of e.g. wet-suit material, such as neoprene or a rubber foam and lycra™ material sandwich.

Once the carrier (1) is fastened in place on the surfboard (2), the user may lift the board (2) and place the shoulder strap (3) over their head and onto their far shoulder. The user may then put on the waistbelt (3) using a belt buckle (14).

The user is able to adjust the shoulder strap (3) and waistbelt (4), as necessary, through suitable adjustment buckles (15, 16), so that the holder portion (5) and surfboard (2) lie to the user's side at their hip with the board (2) extending forwardly and rearwardly of their person.

The carrier (1) thus allows the user to carry the board (2) in an arms-free and controlled manner. The user is able to retain an upright posture and remain balanced, and can guide the board (2) to avoid obstacles and the like. Also, the weight of the board (2) is taken by the user on the shoulder and waist, so as to spread the load. The user can thus carry the board for long distances and/or long time periods in relative comfort and safety. The carrier (1) may be especially useful for example in carrying the board over difficult terrain.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the lower flap (6) is divided into front and rear panels (17,18), with zip closures (19) extending along each side edge of these panels. The zip closures (19) are configured so that when the carrier (1) is not used to carry a surfboard (2) or the like, the carrier (1) may be turned into a carry bag/holdall by zipping up the side edges of the lower flap (6) so that the front and rear panels (17,18) form a pouch. The upper flap (7) may be used to close the pouch created by the zipped-up lower flap (6). This then transforms the carrier (1) from a board carrier to a general-purpose bag.

The carrier (1) may be thought of as an attachment for the surfboard that allows it to be carried in a sling-type manner, whilst when removed may be converted into a carry-bag.

The carrier (1) also includes a front zip-up pocket (20) for e.g. a wallet, coinage or the like, and padding (21) for the waistband (4). The padding (21) is located opposite the holder portion (4), i.e. where the greatest pressure will be exerted on a user's waist.

The carrier (1) further includes a grab handle (22) so that the carrier (1) and board (2) may be quickly and easily picked up for short carrying distances and general handling. The grab handle (22) is located so that it comes easily to hand whilst carrying a board or the like, so as to help guide the board e.g. through a crowd or other setting in which manoeuvring is difficult. Although shown in the drawings between the attachment portions of the shoulder strap (3), it may alternatively be provided on the front of the lower flap (6), e.g. adjacent the pocket (20).

The carrier (1) also includes elasticated loops (23) on either side of the top edge of the lower flap (6). These may be used to retain other objects, e.g. of lesser width than the board or of tubular construction, in place in the holder portion (5), e.g. a fishing rod (24) or the like. The loops (23) can also be used to tension the looped holder portion (5) and to manoeuvre the lower flap (6) when loading an article into the carrier.

Clearly, other articles can also be housed in the holder portion (5) so long as the flaps (6,7) are able to fasten together about them.

Other accessories may also be provided on the carrier (1). For example, it could include in-built protective covers for the board that would pull out to cover those parts of the board extending forwardly and rearwardly of the looped holder portion (5). These covers could be rolled up into the carrier (1) when not in use.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention in which like features to those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

In this second embodiment, the non-slip panel portion (12) is replaced by an air bladder (25)—although the surface of the air bladder (25) could also be made from or include the same non-slip material or the like.

The bladder (25) may be inflated by a pump (26), such as a bulb pump, on the shoulder strap (3), and may be deflated by a release valve button (27) again on the shoulder strap (3). An air tube (28) connects the bladder (25) with the pump (26) and release button (27), and may be sewn into the shoulder strap (3).

Once the flaps (6,7) have been fastened about a surfboard, the bladder (25) can be inflated using the pump (26) so as to firmly grip the board in place, and can be deflated using the release button (27) so as to allow the board to be removed. Although not shown, the bladder (25) can include a pressure relief valve to prevent its over-inflation.

The bladder (25) can reduce the need for adjustment of the webbings (9) and (10), can provide a sure grip of the surfboard (2), and can provide a one-size-fits-all versatility. It also allows the carrier (1) to be used as a flotation device in emergencies, and can be deflated when the carrier (1) is used as a normal bag.

This embodiment also shows the waist belt (4) with an elasticated bottle holder (29), and an air cushion (30) in the shoulder strap (3) for comfort.

The carrier (1) of the above embodiments may be made from any suitable materials, e.g. durable synthetic canvas-like material. It may also take any suitable sizes, e.g. the looped portion could be between about 20 cm and about 60 cm in width and between about 80 and about 130 cm in length.

It is to be understood that various alterations, additions and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the present invention.

The carrier may be used to carry any type of elongate articles, especially elongate sporting or leisure articles, and is not limited to surf boards. Indeed, the carrier (1) may be used in non-leisure fields, such as in the military or constructional fields to carry military or constructional articles or materials. The carrier may be dimensioned as required for such purposes.

The fastening together of the upper and lower flaps (7,6) could take any other suitable form, e.g. any other buckle configuration, ties, Velcro™ fasteners or the like, and drawstrings or the like may be used to tighten the flaps (6,7) about the article to be carried.

The bladder (25) and non-slip panel (12) may be removable and e.g. held in place by Velcro™ fasteners or the like. Instead of the pump (26), the bladder (25) could be inflated merely by a tube having a mouthpiece.

Also, instead of the bladder, the holder portion (5) could include deformable material such as foam or the like, which may be removable to allow for the bag conversion.

Instead of a pair of flaps, the holder portion could comprise a closed loop of material that is slipped over the board or other article in use.

The holder portion (5) could also be elasticated. It could also be used with other harness/strapping arrangements for other than body-mounted use, e.g. for cycle saddlebag mounting or the like.

Instead of having the flaps take on a panel form, they could for example take the form of a number of separate looped straps. The looped portion could also include either only the waiststrap or the shoulder strap without the other. The carrier (1) may of course be configured for carrying the board or the like on the left or right hand side of a person. 

1. A carrier for the personal carriage of an elongate article, the carrier comprising a body-mounting strap and a looped holder portion, the looped holder portion being configured to extend about a portion of the elongate article in use to hold the article on the side of a person wearing the device, with a first end of the article extending forwardly from the holder portion, and a second end of the article extending rearwardly of the holder portion, wherein the looped holder portion is able to be closed along at least one of its sides through which the elongate article would extend in use to form a pouch.
 2. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein both sides of the looped holder portion are able to be closed.
 3. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein a side edge or side edges of the looped holder portion has/have one or more closure elements, such as zip closure devices.
 4. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the looped holder portion comprises a flapped panel that may be passed about the article and closed into a loop.
 5. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the looped holder portion comprises a pair of flapped portions.
 6. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the looped holder portion comprises tightening means for tightening the looped portion against a carried article.
 7. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the looped holder portion comprises a bladder element.
 8. A carrier according to claim 7, wherein the carrier comprises an inflation means for inflating the bladder element.
 9. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the looped holder portion comprises an inner surface area of a non-slip material.
 10. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the body-mounting strap of the carrier comprises a shoulder strap and a waist belt.
 11. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is a recreational board carrier or a surfboard carrier.
 12. A carrier for the personal carriage of an elongate article, the carrier including a body strap and an article holder, the article holder comprising a panel element that in use extends about a central portion of the article to form a tubular looped carry portion, and wherein side edges of the panel element comprise closure means that enable at least one side of the looped carry portion to be closed to form a pouch.
 13. A carrier according to claim 12, wherein the carrier comprises a pair of flaps, the flaps in use extending about an article to be carried and being fastened together.
 14. A carrier according to claim 13, wherein in use one flap extends about the top edge of a carried article and the other flap extends about the bottom edge of the article, the top flap being shorter than the bottom flap.
 15. A carrier according to claim 14, wherein the closure means is/are adapted to form the lower flap into a pouch, the closure means comprises closure elements provided along opposite side edges of the lower flap, the upper flap acting as a top closure to provide a bag-like configuration.
 16. A board carrier, the board carrier comprising a shoulder strap and a looped carrier portion within which the board is held in use, the looped carrier portion being formed from an elongate panel element that in use extends about a central portion of the board, wherein the looped carrier portion is able to be closed along at least one of its sides, through which the board would extend in use, to form a pouch.
 17. A carrier according to claim 16, wherein the panel element is made primarily from an elasticated material or comprises elasticated portions therein.
 18. A carrier according to claim 16, wherein the carrier comprises tightening means for ensuring a board or article is securely held within the looped portion, the tightening means comprising any one or more of: a tightening strap or drawstring, padding, and/or an inflatable bladder.
 19. A carrier for an elongate article, the carrier comprising one or more mounting straps and a looped holder portion, the looped holder portion being configured to extend about a portion of an elongate article in use to hold the article in place, with a first end of the article extending forwardly of the holder portion and a second end of the article extending rearwardly of the holder portion, wherein the looped holder portion is adapted to be closed along at least one side thereof through which the elongate article would extend in use such that the looped holder portion can form a pouch- or bag-like configuration.
 20. A carrier according to claim 19, wherein the looped holder portion comprises one or more closure elements for forming the looped holder portion into the carry pouch or bag-like configuration, the one or more closure elements provided along edges of the panel element and selected from the group consisting of: zip closures and Velcro™.
 21. A carrier for an elongate article, the carrier comprising a looped holder within which the article is held in use, and a bladder element within the looped holder, the bladder element being inflatable within the looped holder.
 22. A carrier for an elongate article, the carrier comprising one or more mounting straps and a looped holder portion, the looped holder portion being configured to extend about a portion of an elongate article in use to hold the article in place, with a first end of the article extending forwardly of the holder portion and a second end of the article extending rearwardly of the holder portion, wherein the looped holder portion comprises an inner surface area of a non-slip material.
 23. A carrier for the personal carriage of an elongate article, the carrier comprising a body-mounting strap and a looped holder portion, the looped holder portion being configured to extend about a portion of the elongate article in use to hold the article on the side of a person wearing the device, with a first end of the article extending forwardly from the holder portion, and a second end of the article extending rearwardly of the holder portion, wherein the body mounting strap comprises both a shoulder strap and a waist-belt. 